The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-08-11

The trotting horse is typical Amer
ican production. Nowhere does it at
tain such perfection as in the United
States. In fact it may hardly be said
to exist at all anywhere else. None
Of the great contests Of horse speed in
England, France or Germany are be
tween trotters. In all those countries
the runner has the preference, and all
the famous pieces of horsefiesh there
have won the homage paid them under
/ the saddle But in the United States
Flora Temple, Dexter, Maud S. and
St. Julien, not to mention a host Of
/ lesser lights, divide the hOnOrs with
the Bard, TrouJadour and the other
monarchs Of the turf.
1t is undoubtedly the prevalence Of
/ light wheeled vehicles in the United
States that has given trotting SO great
a hold on Americans. 1t would be
quite impossible to do any great road
speeding in England, because the Eng
/ lish have no light wagons and sulkles
to speak of. And there is no question
| but the trOtting matches in America
are an evolution Of the road speeding
practiCed by well-to-do farmers and
country gentlemen on their way to
town, the country fair, and sometimes,
it must be confessed, to church.
And, as many readers will testify,
speed is not always to the light wagoned
horse. Sometimes the butcher boy
with his heavy four wheeled cart will
show the dust in right royal style to
the gloved driver of the sleek thorough
bred harnessed to the spider skeleton
or the natty road buggy.
The advocates of running may sneer
at trotting matches, but it IS only
question of taste as to which IS the
more exciting, and it is evident upon
the fact of it that trOtting possesses
some advantages, not the least of which
| is the fact that a mile heat 10 sulky is
of longer duration than under the sad
die and in certain sections of the
country the people will have none of
the latter. Those vino have witnessed
some of the historically speedy trotting
matches understand their feeling, too.
Nothing can well be more exciting
than were the matches Eetween Maud
s. and St. Julien in the days when it
was still all uncertain as to which of
them would prove the more speedy.
Not Loco inlpal the
matches of the little mare against time.
The writer witnessed two of them, and
in each instance she lowered her re-
cord.
lust before the start on one occasion
since grown famous the vast throng in
the stands and or the ground began to
grow still. When BAcr wheeled up the
stretch by the distance flags and started
down to the wire there was a murmur
of approval at the mares perfect time.
:. Now - was the word given by 5000
voices to the holders of stop watches
as the beauty passed under the wire,
went down the turn. " Now " was
the chorus again as she passed the
quarter and then all was still again as
the beautiful animal footed it alone
q up the bach" to the half mile post.
The " now " swelled into a roar when
she passed the second post, for every
body knew she was doing unprecedent-
ed time. When the mare reached the
third post the shout of "now - was
frantic, but quickly subdued, and 2o,-
900 pairs of eyes riveted themselves
upon her glossy sides as she tore down
the stretch, and when she passed under
the wire the throng went mad. A
few moments later she was decorated
with flowers and garlands, and she
seemed to appreciate the plaudits O.
the multitude as she was led up for in
spectiou by the crowd.
This was at Rochester, n. Y, and
: the time better than 2:Ic, was long
the pride of the Rochester track, and
the mares gilded efigy swung fol
years over the judges stand sur
mounted by the magic figures showing
the time
But Maud S. did better after that, as
every one knows. VIII the public
ever see her again?
10 Z .f;